


Hold My Soul

by feel_like_plastic_waste



Category: Half-Life, Half-Life 2 - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Canon Dialogue, Daemon Touching, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, They are clearly in love but it's just sort of like. not addressed, Unresolved Romantic Tension, a little bit, gman is here too but this isn't about him., i guess, soul bonding i guess??, unfortunately the vortigaunts don't do much but they're here and that's what matters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feel_like_plastic_waste/pseuds/feel_like_plastic_waste
Summary: She was pale, her eyes closed and breathing labored, Galileo laying by her side, his form translucent and his edges turning to Dust, both of them close to death.
Relationships: Gordon Freeman/Alyx Vance
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Hold My Soul

**Author's Note:**

> this took me like. a little over a month to write. :,)  
> I've had a half-life daemon au planned out for a while now though and I never? Did anything with it? So hope you enjoy, lmk if you would be interested in seeing more short stories/canon scenes rewritten with daemons included!
> 
> I want to thank my partner, Ace, who motivated and helped me a lot with writing this as well as beta read a lot of my wips of this, as well as my pals Leo and Legacy- Leo for beta reading while having 0 knowledge of Half-Life and Legacy for helping me with the ending and yelling whenever I let them read :P

“The Alyx Vance requires a tether to the human realm!” One of the Vortigaunts called to him, beckoning him closer. Gordon stepped forward, his heart skipping a beat as he once again looked at the table where Alyx laid. She was pale, her eyes closed and breathing labored, Galileo laying by her side, his form translucent and his edges turning to Dust, both of them close to death. 

“As one of her race, her frequency, we require your vortal signature.” Another vortigaunt said, their singular eye trailing to the collar portion of Gordon’s suit, where Joan had peered out anxiously. There was a moment of confusion before he understood- and Joan did as well. 

With a final reassuring squeeze around his neck, Joan slipped out of the HEV suit and down Gordon’s extended arm, gently letting herself fall onto Alyx’s slow-rising chest. Gordon’s heart skipped a beat at the contact- it felt strange to have his daemon so close to another person, let alone touching them. 

It felt personal- almost invasive, and it took all of Gordon's willpower not to snatch his daemon away. He persevered through the feeling anyway. If it meant Alyx would live, he would endure anything, no matter how strange. He knew Joan felt the same as she pressed her small head against Galileo’s soft fur. 

Soon, the Vortigaunts had gathered around the table where Alyx lay, their hands glowing with green energy. The glistening light that once sparked fear in his heart now sparked hope inside him as he stood by, listening to the alien healers as they hummed in perfect unison, their bodies glowing white and purple as they weaved together vortal energies only they could feel. It was almost awkward, with Gordon just standing there, not feeling anything happening.

For a moment he questioned why he was needed before that familiar, dreadful voice echoed in his mind. 

“ _ Doctor Freeeeeman _ .”

His heart sunk as the world around him faded to shades of grey. The Vortigaunts, Alyx and even Joan vanished from his sight, replaced by that man in the suit. 

“ _ I realize this moment may not be the mossst… convenient for a heart. to. heart... but I had to wait until your... friends, huh, were otherwise occu-pied. Hm. _ ”

The ‘government’ man continued on his little tangent, but Gordon wasn’t paying attention. His thoughts were a stormy mess of panic, fear, and worry. His eyes were glued on the motionless forms of Alyx and Joan- they seemed so close to him, but he could feel the pain of distance between him and his daemon, as if eons were between them. He longed to go back by their side, to hold Alyx’s limp hands while Joan coiled around their joined arms, but his body was frozen stiff, forced to stand in attention as the speech dragged on. 

  
  


He felt like he was sitting through another one of Magnusson’s lectures, the words spoken to him meaning absolutely nothing. When the man leaned in towards Alyx, Gordon snapped out of his stupor. Suddenly overtaken by a sense of dread and urgency, he began to fight for the control of his limbs, desperate to get this perceived threat away from his loved ones. The man paid him no mind, instead whispering to Alyx’s unconscious form.

“ _ Prepare for unforeseen consequences _ .”

The next few seconds were a blur of colors and sounds as he found himself back by Alyx’s side, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the metal table. Joan shot him a confused look as she overflowed his mind with questions. He shook his head- their priority was Alyx. 

The purple glow of the vortigaunts began to fade, and that’s when Gordon noticed that Galileo’s body was solid again, his russel pelt no longer covered in the golden flecks of Dust. One of his long, fur-tipped ears gave a twitch just as Alyx groaned in pain, her hazel eyes blinking open and sweeping away all of Gordon’s fears and worry in a flood of relief. 

“Oh my god…” Alyx gritted out as she pulled herself up, propping herself up on her elbows. She immediately looked to her side where Galileo had already sat up, nuzzling her cheek. 

“Alyx. I thought for sure we were dead.” The caracal murmured. They sank against each other wordlessly, unaware of the snake daemon trying to move away. Galileo noticed her first, ears perking up and a loud purr rumbled from his throat, getting Alyx’s attention.

Her soft gasp when she saw Joan wrapped around her arm, the snake looking at her with human fondness. Gordon swore that, if she could, his daemon would be smiling. 

“Hello Alyx.” Joan said softly, voice brimming with affection. Alyx, bewildered, looked from Gordon to Joan, her lips slowly curling into a smile before she reached out for Gordon’s hand. He grabbed onto it like a lifeline, desperate to communicate how fiercely he wanted to stay by her side despite the words failing him. 

Soon, the vortigaunts crowded them, explaining to Alyx the cause of her wounds and how they had fixed them. Gordon wasn’t listening, focused on Joan still coiled around Alyx’s arm- the same one holding Gordon’s hand. The initial discomfort of having his daemon touching another person had gone, replaced instead by the comforting warmth of a hand in his, of skin against Joan's chilled scales and soft fur ever so slightly brushing against his side as Alyx finally stood, using Gordon to steady herself as she shakingly made her way towards the lift, Galileo at her heels.

Joan had made her way back onto his HEV suit by the time they reached the lift, and Gordon found himself letting go of Alyx's hand. However, as soon as he did, she reached out again, grabbing it with twice the force she had used earlier, her eyes locking with his, her gaze full of words he could tell she was struggling to stay. 

"Next to me." Her voice was the softest he'd ever heard it, every bit of it laced with tenderness and need. She needed him by her side, she needed him to hold her, to be what kept her afloat after what she'd just been through- and she had only needed three words for him to understand, as if their very hearts had been intertwined. 

He knew Joan could feel it too, as she once again left his side to curl herself lightly around Galileo's neck as if she were a strange scarf, letting the caracal daemon lightly lick the top of her small head. 

They were united, all four of them, as though one. It was unspoken, strange even… but they all felt it, and as the lift made its way towards the light of the surface, they knew they would never again be apart.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me @doctorizzykleiner on tumblr uwu 
> 
> and for those interested or who missed it, gordon's daemon is a banded flying snake while Alyx's is a caracal.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


End file.
